Can opener



Dec. 10, 1929.

H. w. o'TTow CAN OPENER Filed Nov. 26, 1927 Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES HENRY W. OTTOW, OF WATERTOWN, SOUTH DAKOTA- CAN OPENER Application filed November 26, 1927.

This invention relates to can openers, and the general object of the invention is to provide a can opener which is particularly effective in actual practice, which s so formed that it cannot slip from the can once the knife or blade has been inserted in the can top; which is provided with a toothed rocking face or fulcrum which Wlll. lndent the bead of the can top, and which will prevent any backward slip of the opener when being used.

A further object is to provide a blade which will bead, crimp or turn over the raw edge of the can upon the inside face thereof as the top is cut from the can so that the contents of the can be poured without catching on the edge and so that the empty can may be used for other purposes.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a can opener constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a rear edge elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a side elevation looking from the side opposite to that shown in Figure 1;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevationas in Figure 1, showing the can opener applied;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the shank.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates the handle of the can opener and 11 the shank of the opener proper which is formed with a longitudinally extending tang 12 engaging within the handle in the usual manner. This shank is formed with the curved bottle opening hook 13. The shank on the side edge opposite the hook 13 is formed with an inclined portion having teeth 14, these teeth being triangular in shape and pointed so as to engage against the bead of the can, as will be stated later.

The blank from which the shank is made is formed with a guard 15. This guard extends downwardly and laterally,.or in other words at an inclination away from the hook 13, and in actual practice this guard is bent over or twisted so that it lies in a plane at right angles to the plane of the shank 11- Serial No. 235,944.

and at an angle to the axis of the tang. 12. Welded, riveted or otherwise attached to the shank 11 on that face of the shank away from the twisted guard 15 is a blade 16, this blade being formed with a shank portion which lies flat against the shank. 11 and with a cutting portion provided witha straight cutting edge 17 and a curved cutting edge 18, the straight cutting edge being disposed in line with the adjacent edge of the shank 11 and parallel with the axis of the tang 12. W hen the blade is so disposed and welded in place, the end of the blade projects beyond the guard 15, as shown in Figure 1, with the straight edge ofthe blade disposed in line with the adjacent edge of the shank and the curved edge of the blade projecting beyond the guard.

Looking toward the edge of the implement, as shown in Figure 2, it will be seen that the inner edge of the guard is spaced from the blade. It will also beseen from this view that the extremity of the blade is slightly curved at 19, this curvature being away from the guard. The shank-11 with the parts 12, 13, 14 and 15 is made of cold rolled strip steel about thick and is case hardened. The blade is preferably made of tool steel, oil tempered and drawn to a medium hardness. The blade is beveled onbothedges anda slight bend givento the end of the blade to permit the blade to cut freely around the edge of the can. Preferably the blade will be'spot riveted or welded on the shank 11.

In the use of this device, the hook. 13 may, of course, be used for the purpose of a bottlecap remover. This requires no further explanation, WVhere the implement is to be used for opening cans, the blade is forced into the top of the can adjacent the edge thereof, so closely adjacent that the inner edge of the guard will slip over the exterior wall of the can, thus bringing the bead of the can between the guard and the blade. The blade is forced into the can sufliciently deeply so that the creeper formed by the teeth 14 will engage this bead. When the blade has been thus forced inward, the handle is forced downward, causing the implement to rock upon the teeth 14 as upon a fulcrum and lifting the forward curved edge of the blade. This curved edge will cut into the material of the can. When one cut is made, the blade is forced forward and downward and a new cut made. Thus by merel rocking the implement upon the can, t e blade will be caused to cutzthe can-entirely'around closely adj acent-"the outer wall of the-can, the guard 1preventing any inward movement ofv the lade. The blade, asait rocks forces the cut edge of the can top which is adjacent to the wall to the can downward against the wall'of: .7

the can and smoothes this edge ofl so that there is no projecting cuttingedge upon-the can itself when the top has been cut out.

Thus the contents of the cancan-be poured without catching on'the-edge of the can and tlieempt'y can may be utilized for adiinkingcup flo-wer pot and various other purposes. The toothed, rocker 14 is'particularly efl'ecti've; as this preventsthe knife from slipping back asthe handle-is forced downward and the knife forced upward into the can. Thus-there'is nolostmotion with this can opener: Asbeforeremarked, the blade is slightly'benfl at the point so that it will cut freely around the edge of the can and not bear frictionally against'the wall of the can.

Minor changes, off course, may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of 'partswithout departing fromthe spirit ofthe invention as 'definedxin the appended A can openercomprising a shank having a. handle-,1 the shankhaving attached thereto a.

longitudinally extending blade" having a straight edge and a curved intersecting, edge,

the straight, edge being, parallel to the longi? tudinal axis of the shank; the shank being formed: with a straight guard extending diagonally acrossthe blade from a point opposite the base of the curved edge-to a point'approximating the forwardend of" the straight edge and dis-posed in a plane at right angles to the'plane' of the shank, the. inner edge of the guard being uniformly spaced from the blade throughout" its entire extent the shank having a plurality of teeth constitutinga fulorum upon which the shank-'niayrock when the' bl'ade is inserted'in thecan; said teeth being disposed in aseriesin'angular-relation to the guard.

In-testimony'whereof-I hereunto afiix myv signature.

HENRY W. OTTOW. 

